Rotary motor



Feb. 6,I 1945.

wlrlvsssss Filed Jan. 18, 1941 W.- M. ALLISON ROTARY MOTOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 6, 1945. w. M. ALLlsoN 2,359,002

l ROTARY MOTOR Filed Jan. 18, 1941 4 sheets-sheet 2 Feb. 6, 1945. w; M ALLISON ROTARY MOTOR Filed Jan. 18, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 BY ma@ @w/ham,

ATTORNEYS WITNESSES Feb. 6, 1945.V w. M ALLISQNv ROTARY MOTOR Filed Jan. 18, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 4- mvENToR l l leon May/ze L BY e' M @m/Wm Velia? ATTORNEY WDTN 5555 Patented Feb. 6, 1945 l UNITED STATES p PATENTk OFFICE ROTARY MOTOR a y Wilson Mayne Allison, Knocksliegow'na,

` Union of Sont-iranes Application January 1s, 1941, serial No. iis-,06s.U .l

InthevUnion' of South AfrcavJanuary 19, 1940'.

44Y claims. por 12s-47) This invention relates to motors, and more particularly to internal` combustion motors for use as compression ignitionmotors. y

An object of the invention is to-provide in a motor means for .operating the.' pistons andthe cylinders cooperating with them relative. to a rotational mass, such as a iiywheel or crank.vr pin carrier member, in such .a manner that the pistons4 and cylinders have diiferingfundamental rotational pathswhich produce alternatingincreasing and decreasinggvolumetric. capacities between the cylinder heads andpiston.crowns.

One of the purposes.V ofi thisinvention is. to provide a motor whichr is basically` rotational rather than reciprocatory in its function,- and one in Which .the'loadingdueto reciprocatory masses is reduced to a minimum. Higher.r mchanical eiciencyis therefore possibleV due to the elimination of Vlosses associated with xecip rocatory masses.

A further object is to provide-a` motor. in

which the rotation of the. cylinder assemblyv combined with `the vrotation .of the. crank pinpar riers in different planes gives a smooth. and continuous motion with the least .amount of re.- sistance due to the forces of inertia..

Afurther object is to provideamotor inwhich the leven spacingl of thecrank. pins aids4 inf the elimination ofV torsional strain and. vibration and also permits theuse of; ball or roller type bearings on .the crank pins.A

-It is a further object to produceamechanis in which theangle of thrust from eaclrpiston` remainsV inthe range of useful pressures longer than'in present engines,l and in which the coriversion of gas pressure to torque by angles of thrustis. animprovement over crank mechanism.

A further object is thev elimination of crank'- shaft, exing, torsional vibration and inaccue raciesof valve timing due. tothe same reasons,

A further object is. to provide a. motor having inherent fundamentals of design which maybe calculated for the most Yadvantageous angles of thrust to give a longer stroketof-borefratio',- and which when applied to compressionignition enginesf, Where the pressure is very high the piston area due to thelonger' stroke-toi-bore ratio` forv a given volumetriccapacity per. cylinder maybe less than in prior motors; thus reducing pressures onv connecting rod bearings and." bearings throughout' the motor. Moreover,` due' to the large individual cylinder capacity', relativev to the total capacity, fuelA metering in combustion ignition engines is `made. easier and slight errorsA inthe metering will not produce undesirable pressures orI roughnessin operation.

A furtherA objectisto providea motor which', when operatedy asatwoioycle': enginewitli' ported cylinders, utilizes centrifugal. force. dud Yto the the present lfore:tl'ietransfer is desired; and., due to thevrapid i thereofi rotation of` the assemblies .to assist. in i exhaust scavenging, and-in which the centrifugal force may also be .useclin furthering. the. coolingjoper.- ation. Due to the rotationofvthe.cylinder assembly aroundfthe. central spindle; a. single cam may be. used for` fuel pump, roperation .providing accurate lmeans forV controlling. the required amount of fuel to .individual cylinders; .The ro'- tationof thecylinder; assembly with the `necessary functional annulae and-passages;aboutythe spindle forms a rotary Valve. Transfer ports may be functionally openedbythepistons beopening of the valve anextremely rapid air transfer is possible. e Due to the angle of the cylinders vjvithui'elas-l tion. to. the central spindlei there Willzbe ay fallback` `of the. connecting rods. when. the pistons approach top dead centerthus reducing the speed of p the: piston `.slightly and allowing the injection of fuelthrough a smaller angle-of. rotation thus. avoidingfthe danger of4 undesirable pressures. v

While my invention may be'applied' to any use and essentiallyinvolves azprime' mover. it is particularly ladapted taaerOpl-ane work, and one of the'obiectsof` thezpre'sen-t motor is to yprovide a. smallerA frontal.. areathan in present motors of similar capacities and of lower; weight per horsepower. y

A fui-ther object is; to providei in a motor, similar ,to that. hereinafter-'i described; af chamber in the. pis-ton proper fin whichLthe-Inain combustion takes place; .thee chamber: being :sealed by i acooperating-.piston-flikezextensionon the fcylinder head.v Thispermits-{a'compression ratio. con'- siderably higher .ithan in.` the normal engine.-

A` further'. object is toprovideavpistonfcone struction,-as-,outlinedabova in which thefcoxistruction of the pistonand'the. pistoniike`ex tension on thecylinderhead willy provide turbulenceWithi-nthe cylinder afterV ignition, and as a result better combustiomv A further Objectis. toI provideavtinsfr valve inthe piston proper toicom'binei: proper scaveng ingfofy thev combustion` chamber with. the cooiing This costructiorrniay use a sleevev pop"- pet 'valvetogether withf ,.positivezmeans to insure operation? f 1. i

A further object iste'provide:an'improvdaforhfi of synchronizing driving: gearing.,

A further'objctaot 'thisfinventionfis to provide an airmcooiediirirovedr constructionl which more efficiently governs vtlfiefa'ir fiowfivitl'rtiie resultant. impmyeecwiing andan. are cooling sys; tem. whereby air passagesrare provides the pistons vifitli-l means for circulating cooling'- air indersand: cylinder" producing more eficlentv v i form of piston;

A further object is to provide, in addition to the ordinary pressure type lubrication, means for supplying to the main bearings adjacent to the heated cylinders and to the cooling jackets at the base of each cylinder an extra amount of oil for cooling purposes and wherein due to centrif^V Y ugal force the surplus oil will be returned to the Y y engine case.

A further object is to provide in the cylinder heads aV chamber for the reception of sodium salts or other cooling medium so constructed that the centrifugal force due tojthe rotation of the motor causes the cooler and vheavier portions of the cooling medium to make Contact with the hotter portions of the cylinder head.

A further object is to provide a construction in which the angularity of rthe cylinders and connecting rods is used to provide an accurate transfer valve operation in which the exhaust ports are closed predeterminedly earlier.

A further object is to provide means for varying the compression ratio by changing the angu- `larity of the connecting rods.

this point it is possible to lubricate them and cool them as will hereinafter be explained.' The bearing assembly mounting 2 0 is likewise provided with thrust and journal bearings which take the thrust of the shaft 25 and are similarly lubricated and cooled.

The inward end 35 of the drive shaft 25 is tapered and positioned thereon is a beveled helical gear 3l keyed to the shaft by means of the key 32. The shaft'25 has a threaded end 33 engaging a nut 3i. The gear 3| engages a similar gear Mliixed tothe ywheel I1 by means of the screws4 d I, or by other means, so that the position Other objects and advantages of my invention f v will appear and be discussed as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings- Fig. 1 is a side v Fig. l-A is a continuation of the view shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detailed view of a single cylinder and piston with'the cooperating mech- Fig. 3y is an end view of the motor shown in Fig. 1; v

Fig. 4 isa sectional detailed View taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 1; 1 Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional viewk taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1;.

Figf is .a development of thecylinder wall showing the position of the air ns there-on;

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a modified Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing a modified form for taking power vfrom the engine.

In the side elevation views parts of the motor in the background have been omitted for the purpose of clarity and in order to avoid confusion.

I provide an outer casing or'base I in which is mounted abearing assembly mount I I including journal bearings I2 and thrust bearings I3. Extending through the bearing assembly mount II is a member I4 having a tapered-end bolted to the plate I5 by means of the nut I6. Mounted on the bearings I2 and I3 is a crank pin carrier or flywheel I1 carrying the crank pins I8 mounted in suitable bearings I9. The bearing assembly mounting 20 carrying 4bearingsZl is .mounted at one end of .the member I4. A shaft has one end carried by the bearings 2i and the other by the bearings 26. The shaftv 25 has apinion 31 integral therewith andhaving teeth engaging the elevation in cross' section showf ing a motor embodying my invention;

of the gear may be adjusted with relation to the flywheel to vary the relative angular position of the connecting rods. l

'i VJournal bearings, 42 are provided between the gear 4B and themember I4. The gears 3l and 40 may vnot befof the same ratio but the rotation of the flywheel or' carrier I1 and the cylinder assemlblymount 24 are synchronized through the pinion 26 and the internal 'annular gear 23, so that the ratio between the crank pin carrier and lthe cylinder assembly is one-to-one.

Mounted on the cylinder assembly mount 24 are the cylinders 5I which may .'loe'of any number although I have shown six. The cylinder walls are -providedwith transfer ports 52 and exhaust ports 53, 54-and 55. Air is supplied to the transfer ports "by means of the intake pipe from a conventional supercharger (not shown) through the passage 6I and the passage 62. Air is also supplied through the passage 63 for a purpose which will hereinafter be discussed. The cylinders are bolted to the cylinder-assembly mount atv 6B and elsewhere. f While it will be appreciated that liquid cooling means may be provided for the cylinders, in my air cooledA motor I provide fins 1I); The iins 10 are so constructed as to direct the flow of air about the cylinder .tof produce the most efficient cooling. It will be apparent from the development shown in Fig. 6, that the air will be directedy .to and around the exhaust ports 53, 5E and 55 where the circulation is most needed, andthe fins 10`will run radially onthe portion of the cylinders nearest the center of the motor and curve toward a longitudinal direction onthe outer Vsurface thereof. It will be appreciated that a predetermined amount of air will be'admitted to the front of the motor by the Cowling.' Certain of this air will pass ythrough the funnel 1I and will be guided by the dividing member 65 down around Ythe lower portion of the cylinder and out through the louvers` 13 in' the cylinder jackets 'I4 and through the louvers 15 in the motor casing. Additional air yWillpass-through the opening 66 around and over the cylinder heads 12 between the fins 1B on vthe upper part of the cylinder and By placing thesegbearingsat 76 out through thelouvers 13 and 15.

The crank pins `It are-r provided with the usual pivots 80 which are connected with the connecting rods 8l. 'Ihe connecting rods are provided with a universal connection'82 and are connected tothe piston 84 by the cross pin 83.

'Ihe upper portion 90 of the piston 84 is provided with the usual rings v9| and is internally threaded at SZto engage threads 93 vof the piston crown 94. The piston crown VIllIfis hollow in its central portion and its inner walls 95 are adapted to engage with-the Walls of the cylinder head -piston-like .extension 95 lto-form a chamber 91 Within the piston itself'.` Mounted within the piston on the core |00 thereof isfa sleeve poppet valve '.II'II'. 4The sleeve'ipoppet valve TIIII is` positioned .inner portion of the piston.`

"on the core by meansofthepin` |02 throughthe slot.| I3 in the core |00. The upper end ofv the. sleeve poppet valve|| has a mitred valve face which engages a seat I 06 on the lower end of the member 94. Piston rings |01 are provided on the core |00 between the yside of the core and the sleeve poppet valve. The pin |02 is mounted in bosses I I0. These bosses serve to engage a spring II mounted in the channel |I2- on the The spring III presses against the channel ||2 andr theshoulder |I0to normally maintain the sleeve valve |0I in closedposition. It will be understood of course that the pin |02 is mounted in the slot I I 3 inthe core |00 'so that the sleeve' and the pinmay be forced downwardly in vthe slot ||3 to open the valve, thatiis, to remove the mitred valveface |05 from the SeathHJB.

Apivot bearing I I5 surrounds the pin |02 at the eccentric portion thereof and a link |I6 is pivoted to the bearing ||5 at ||1. At theother end the link IIB is pivoted at I I8 to a rocker arm I I 9. The other end of the rocker arm I I9 is pivoted to the p-in on the piston 84. The rocker arm ||9 is provided with a projection |2I, a recess I 22 and a contact shoulder I 23. The bearing cap 82 has a cam nger |25 whichis adapted to engage the projection I2I and the recess |20 at a predetermined point when the piston is on the -down Stroke. This action-causes the rocker arm to pivot on the pin |20 thus exerting a downward pull on the link ||6 against the pin |02 and the sleeve I0| causing the valve face I 0-5 vto move away from the seat |06. As has previously been pointed out, the piny |02 has an eccentric portion |03 so that the position of the sleeve |0| and the extent of its downward movement may be regulated and adjusted lby the turning of the pin |02. As vhas been pointed out, on the downward stroke the sleeve valve |0| is opened and when the transfer ports 52 register with the air passage 62 the transfer will take place and the air will pass through the'sleeve valve through the center of the piston crown 94 thus scavenging and charging the cylinder. On the upward vmovement of the piston the operating lever releases thev shoulder |2I andl the 'spring I II will `close the sleeve vpoppet valve. In the event that for any reason the sleeve I0| should stick then the operating lever |25 will engage the shoulder |23 and thus give a positive action to assist the spring III in moving the sleeve I'0I into a closed position. By constructing the opposed faces of the operating vlevery |25 and the projection I 2| `wedge-shaped, the valve |0-'I will be kept open longer on the upstroke than on the down stroke due to the angularity of the connecting rods, thus assuring a better transfer. It will be noted that 'the sleeve IOI is provided with helical fins |26.

The piston wall is provided with a port I which leads to Aan air passage4 |3| (shown in dotted lines) andcontinues through the port |32 in the piston wall. /It will be seen therefore that cooling 'air is intermittently supplied to the interior of the piston aswell as tothe exterior of the cylinder wall. During the transfer air is of course supplied to the upper portion of the pislton and the sleeve IUI thus cooling the `sleeve through the helical fins |26 and providing im- (70 proved turbulence.

A cylinder head |40`is provided vwith a cooling chamber |4| so constructed that centrifugal force will cause the cooler and heavier portions of the cooling medium, such as sodium salts, to make contact with the hotter portions of the cylinder ing through the'bearings I2 and I3.

head: The cylinder head carries anlinjectorfll which communicates with the fuel `pump I 45. and

whichrinjectsfuel into Vthechamber'91 at a predetermined time. Mounted on the upper portion ofrthelmernber 35 isV a'wearing sleeve f|46 in which is mounted a cam ring |41. .Thefvalve is provided with a tappet |48 adaptedto. be engaged'y by the' high point of the cam ringy|41 to operate the pump at the proper time. An annulus supplies fuel through the passage |5| to the pump |45. `Also mounted on the wearingsleeve |46is a cam ring I 55'havinga `high pointto operate the tappet |51 for thevalve |58 mounted in the. cylinder head |40. Itwill be appreciated that on the upward motion of the pis.- ton airw'illV be forced throughthe passage I59'by the piston crown 94, The valve |58 will be opened ata predetermined time by the high point of the camring and will close at a predetermined time before combustion to lallow passage .of air from the passage |59 into the chamber 91. 1

The top |60 of the piston crown 941s provided with a plurality of high points depending upon the number of exhaust ports provided on the cylinder. In the drawings the cylinder is shown with-three exhaust ports and accordingly three high .points |6I,l |62 and |63 are provided. Between each high point the piston crown slopes 'downwardly and falls away at |64, and |66. Since in this type of motor the cylinders rotate about the pistons, this construction allows better and more ecient scavenging. It will be notedA that' the exhaust port 53 as well as the other ports are provided with a shoulder |10 defining an ex- The opening I1I coopertended opening |1I. ates with the high points |6I, I 62 and I 63 and the tapered portions |64, |65 and |66 so that on the down stroke the exhaust ports register with the tapered portions and are uncovered more quickly, while on 4the upward stroke the high points I 6|, |62 and |63 register with .theextension of the` exhaust ports and .close them sooner than if the piston crown were flat.

As shown in Fig. l-A, the shaft 25 at its outer end carries a gear `|15 which engages the teeth ofthe annular gear |16 drivingrthe propeller shaft |11. Suitable bearings |18 are provided for the shaft |11. A housing .|19 may be provided for housing the shaft |11 and the bear.- ing assembly |18. i

The flywheel I5 has an extension extend- The beveled helical gear 45 is keyed to this extension and enga-ges a similar gear 46 keyed to the shaft 41 in the bearing assembly 48 to rotate'said shaft with the flywheel. The shaft 41 may beused to operate the motor accessories such as the supercharger, etc.

In Fig. a modified piston |80 is shown. This piston is constructed in the same manner as=the one previously discussed with the chamber 91 in its upper end 94 but is supplied with .a poppet valve I8I. A valve steml |82 runs through the core of the piston and the valve is yieldingly maintained in closed position by the spring I 83. A pivotal arrnIB4 having a vcani I 85 isadapted to be engaged by the nger |86 when .the piston is in the exhaust stroke due t0 the angularity of the connecting rod at thatpcint.` This forces vthe arm against the stem |82 and vallowszthe transfer to take place through the port |81.

Due to the design of this particular type of engine the increase of the cylinder capacity increases the power output at a much greater ratio than the gears 3| and 40 are increased, and

s shaft |99. An additional spiral struction vthe jacket 2|3 cooling the as a result the toothed surface of the gears may be insufficient for driving purposes. In such a case these gears may be used merely for synchronizing purposes, and the shaft 25 forward of the pinion 31 with its driving mechanism is eliminated.

Where a motor involving a larger horsepower is involved, a spur gear diierential, as shown in Fig. 8, may-be more desirable than that previously discussed. The extension 44 of the flywheel or crank pin carrier l is keyed at |90 to the annular housing |9|, A plurality of overlapping gears |92 and |93 engaging each other are mounted in the housing and the gear |92 in turn engages the gear the gear |95. The gear |94 is provided with an extension |96 provided with a spiral beveled gear |91 which vengages the spiral beveled gear |98 keyed to the shaft |99. The gear |95 has an extensionr 200 carrying gages the gear 202 on the shaft |99. A suitable bearing assembly 203 is provided for the power beveled gear 204 engaging the shaft 205 is provided for driving accessories. It will be appreciated that this conwill provide greater tooth surface'for driving the shaft |99 and will take up -any play due to the wearing of the gears |96, |91, |98, and 202.

Lubricating oil may be fed to the bearings through the pipe 2|0 in the member I0 and through the dotted passages 2|| tothe oil jacket 2|3 on the lower portion of the cylinders. Due to centrifugal force the oil will be forced through bottom of the cylinders and will be returned to the crankcase.

In operation the cylinders will take air under pressure from the supercharger through thev through the sleeve valve in the hollow piston crown. As the piston moves upwardly in the cylinder the exhaust ports will be closed olf by the high points on the piston crown before the transfer port is completely closed. As the air is compressed the valve in the cylinder head will open-and will close at a predetermined time before ignition. Fuel will be injected into the reduced combustion chamber and the downward stroke will be started. As the piston moves downwardly and as the pistransfer ports 52 and ton crown uncovers the piston-like extension of the cylinder head considerable turbulence will be set up due tothe difference in pressures between the combustion chamber and the cylinder proper. As a result, better combustion will occur. stroke the exhaust ports will register withthe lower parts of the piston crown and will be uncovered before the transfer ports register with the air passage thus allowing the pressure in the cylinders to fally before the transfer takes place.

It will readily be appreciated that because `of the reduced combustion chamber'91 formed by the extension 96 on the cylinder head in the end |94 while the gear |93 engages the gear 20| which en- As the piston continues the downward to said ns, the cooling of my motor will be more ,complete and efficient than in orthodox types.

' The eciency of the cooling is increased by the introduction of air into the insideY of the piston. Itwill also be appreciated that the link mechanism and cam action described for operating the sleeve valve-in the piston will do away with any possibility of sticking,

I claim:

1. In a rotary motor, a plurality of cylinders, a piston ineach of said cylinders, transfer ports insaid cylinders, means for introducing air under pressure to said transfer ports, an air passage in said pistons to allow the passage of air into the interior of said pistons and means to allow the air to escape therefrom, said means including a plurality of openings in the cylinder wall adapted to be uncovered by the piston on the down stroke, and a plurality of low points on said piston crown adapted to cooperate with said openings.

2. In a motor of the class described, a plurality of cylinders, a piston in each of said, cylinders, a connecting rod for each piston, a transfer valve in said piston, spring means for normally keeping said transfer valve closed, means for opening said transfer valve, said meansv including a cam finger on said connecting. rod, a member operating said valve, a rocker arm cooperating with` said member whereby said cam finger engages said rocker arm when said connecting rod is at a predetermined angle and whereby said cam finger disengages said rocker arm and exerts pressure against said rocker arm to assist said spring 4means whenl said connecting rod is at another predetermined angle.

3. In a motor of the class described, a piston, a connecting rod, a transfer valve in said piston, means for opening said transfer valve,V said means including a cam finger on said connecting rod, a member operating said valve, a link conofthe piston 94, the area upon which extreme pressures operate during primary combustion will be considerably reduced thereby permitting a higher combustion ratio without increasing the loading on the connecting rods, crank pins and other moving parts.

It will also be appreciated that because of the planning of the ns and the direction of air necting said member and piston wall, said link having a recess therein forming two contact shoulders and adapted to be engaged by said cam nger whereby said cam finger will engage lone of said shoulders when said connecting rod is at a predetermined angle, and whereby said cam finger will engage the opposite shoulder when said connecting rod is at another predetermined angle.

4. In a motor, a cylinder, a piston cooperating with said cylinder, a connecting rod on said piston, said piston having a central core and an outer wall dening with said central core a passage surrounding said core, a hollow head on said piston, a sleeve valve vpositioned on said core and engaging the bottom of said hollow head, a slot in said core, a pin extending through said sleeve valve and said slot, a port in said piston wall communicatingwith'said sleeve valve, an arm connected with said pin, a link connecting said arm to said piston wall, said link having a recess therein defining two contact'shoulders,

a finger on said connecting rod adapted to enl of said sleeve valve when the connecting rod angle.

is at another predetermined Y W. M. ALLISON. 

